Romance

Comedy

The Lovebirds

Paramount Pictures

Quinn's House

3 Arts Entertainment

Semi-Formal Productions

United States of America

English

Issa Rae

Kumail Nanjiani

Paul Sparks

Anna Camp

Nicholas X. Parsons

Kyle Bornheimer

Barry Rothbart

Catherine Cohen

Andrene Ward-Hammond

Robert Larriviere

Lisha Wheeler

Shannon Nicole

Moses Storm

Nelson Rafael Cepeda

Casey Hendershot

Aaron Abrams

Joe Chrest

Blaine Kern III

Briana Liu

Matthew Rimmer

Jaren Mitchell

Betsy Borrego

Kelly Angell

Rob Eubanks

Mahdi Cocci

Joe Camp III

Gralen Bryant Banks

Bobby Bonsey

Monique Brogan

Iman Marshall

Gianni Reid

Edward Spots

Kenneth Kynt Bryan

Narendra Singh Dhami

Ian Thorpe

Chad Fetzer

Matt Akey

Michael A. Martinez

Duncan Key

Zach Bailor

Madison Eigel

Daniel J. Pastor

Joshua Bailor

Mark LeDoux

Tyler Usie

Daniel L. Smith

Keith Anderson

Phylicia Feldman

Tanner Bartlett

Daniel Dupre

Bobby Tucker

Ben Harris

Jasper M. Baltzersen

Nara Smith

Maya Taylor

Michael Showalter

Tom Lassally

Megan Coates

Clayton Hartley

Ben Ormand

Martin Gero

Todd Schulman

Robert Nassau

Jordana Mollick

Vince Filippone

Oly Obst

Brian Burgoyne

Nicole Abellera Hallman

Scott August

Korey Budd

Brendan Gall

Jeanne McCarthy

Derek Alfonso

Heather Arthur

Ken Barefield

Jonathan Arthur

Christopher Arthur

Stanton Barrett

Eddie Yansick

Troy Faruk

Joe Dryden

Imeon Freeman

Kevin Chase

Nicolas Bosc

Clay Cullen

Dustin Nelson

Tyler Galpin

John Rottger

Adam Rivette

Bradley Royster

Brian Philpot

Kevin Reid

Ashani Roberts

Richard A. Rottger

Theresa A. Fleming

Vonda K. Morris

Katasha Thomas

Selina van den Brink

Felicia Leatherwood

Neil Floyd

Sherri Hamilton

Dee Leveque

White Javetta

Michael Andrews

Manuel São Bento

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If you've been following me for long enough, you know I'm not the biggest fan of rom-coms, particularly when the film is almost exclusive to this genre. The Lovebirds mixes up the latter with a crime-mystery plot, so I was surprisingly interested in watching this Netflix (ex-Paramount) flick. I don't have a definite opinion on Kumail Nanjiani as an actor since I've only seen The Big Sick, a film I admire, but I don't really share the love that many people have for it. I do like his stand-up routines, though. And it's the first time I see Issa Rae on screen, so ... what do I think about them?

They're undoubtedly the best part of this movie. It might be expected for some people, but I genuinely didn't know how this pair would work together. Kumail and Issa share impeccable chemistry, carrying the whole story on their shoulders, especially when the entertainment level starts to decrease due to the generic, dull narrative. Their comedic range and timing are really great, but the script only allows for occasionally good jokes. Issa gives the strongest performance out of the two, by far. She's able to balance her comedic and dramatic expressions quite well, something I can't really write about Kumail.

I'm not going to lie: the two fantastic lead performances and scattered laughs here and there aren't enough to hold my interest. The screenplay is packed with the genre's formulaic plot points, ridiculous narrative/character decisions, and cringe-worthy dialogues. This last issue becomes worse as time goes by. There's a specific type of scene repeated throughout the film in an annoying quantity. It's one of those tiresome, hard to understand, truly irritating dialogues where they're talking over each other for comedy's sake, acting like fools, and it just doesn't work for me.

The plot on itself is hilarious, and not in a good way. To be clear, Michael Showalter does an excellent job of establishing the lighthearted tone, making one of those movies where the viewer isn't supposed to take things too seriously. There's absolutely nothing wrong with this, but there has to be a limit to how much the viewer needs to simply accept and go with it. I watched the film with the right mentality, but some character decisions are baffling. I don't really have that much to write.

The main characters have clear personalities and motivations. Their relationship has a well-developed arc. Technically, it doesn't have anything remarkable, but it also doesn't possess any faults. It's as cliche as hundreds of other rom-coms with the difference that it features two POC protagonists. Not trying to diminish this fact in any way, but diversity isn't automatically a sign of a "good movie", as much as people try to insinuate it. To be completely honest, it contributes very little to nothing when it comes to making a film better or worse unless it's a movie that actually develops the diversity thematic. The Lovebirds could have a heterosexual relationship between two white people or a homosexual one with two POC characters or anything else... With this screenplay and jokes, it would feature the exact same problems.

All in all, The Lovebirds boasts two wonderful performances from Kumail Nanjiani and Issa Rae, but the latter steals the spotlight. They push through the film's issues with phenomenal chemistry and do their best to overcome their script's limitations. Despite a few good jokes, Michael Showalter's flick doesn't do enough to separate itself from other existent rom-coms. Diversity doesn't instantly transform a movie into a "good film", especially when the narrative is packed with the genre's repetitive plot points, cliches, and silly character's decisions. Some dialogues are genuinely cringe-worthy, and even eye-rolling at some points. However, I admit that I'm not the best person to recommend this movie or not. The humor didn't work for me, but it can easily be extremely efficient for someone else. Therefore, if rom-coms are "your thing", I won't oppose to giving this film a chance.

Rating: C

Louisa Moore - Screen Zealots

The classic rom-com is given a non-traditional spin in “The Lovebirds,” now streaming on Netflix. The honeymoon is over for couple Leilani (Issa Rae) and Jibran (Kumail Nanjiani), who’ve decided to split up after a couple of years together. Seconds after breaking up in their car on the way to a party, a strange man runs out in front of them and Jibran accidentally hits him. A cop suddenly commandeers their vehicle and runs down the man, killing him. Crazy things happen, and the two become unintentionally embroiled in a murder mystery.

The story is fun, even if there isn’t much to it. The pair, who flee the scene and run from the cops because they are afraid of being blamed for the murder, have a series of misadventures as they race through New Orleans attempting to solve the crime. Since the film stars an African-American and Pakistani-American, it touches on social issues that reflect the different reactions that two people of color have to the situation versus how two white characters would likely behave if faced with the same predicament. It’s a fresh, modern take on a formulaic narrative.

The jokes are mostly funny and the leads have a terrific chemistry, even if their delivery is full of over-the-top gestures and line readings that play to the balcony. The blending of a romantic comedy with a mystery / adventure story is fun, but this movie probably would’ve felt like even more of a letdown if it had been released in theaters.

“The Lovebirds” isn’t great, but it provides mindless escapism that works as a home streaming flick, and is entertaining because of its very likeable, charismatic comedic leads.

'Torture Room' Clip

The Lovebirds | Issa Rae & Kumail Nanjiani | Official Trailer | Netflix

The Lovebirds (2020) - Official Trailer - Paramount Pictures

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The Lovebirds

Cast & Crew

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Cast

Issa Rae

Kumail Nanjiani

Paul Sparks

Anna Camp

Nicholas X. Parsons

Kyle Bornheimer

Barry Rothbart

Catherine Cohen

Andrene Ward-Hammond

Robert Larriviere

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